Illegal immigrants are crowding border again

Number of apprehensions still low for January, border officials say

The number of illegal immigrants detained at San Diego's border crossings spiked last week for the first time since Sept. 11, when stricter security measures were imposed.

After the terrorist attacks, the number of illegal immigrants detected trying to cross at the three ports of entry in San Diego County plummeted. At San Ysidro, the nation's busiest land port, the number of apprehensions dropped almost 80 percent.

In the four months after the attacks, inspectors at the ports detained fewer than 300 illegal immigrants per week, compared with between 950 and 1,100 per week last year.

In January, however, that number began climbing, with 937 illegal immigrants being detained last week.

Immigration officials caution that it's too early to say that illegal immigration is on the upswing again because the number is still low for January, when migrants typically begin returning to their U.S. jobs after holiday visits in Mexico.

Adele Fasano, the Immigration and Naturalization Service district director in San Diego, said the number of illegal immigrants detained last weekend was still almost 70 percent lower compared with the same weekend last year.

The increase is probably the natural result of the annual post-holiday flood of immigrants, Fasano said. The immigrants, who live and work illegally in the United States, hire smugglers or persuade relatives or friends to help them cross. Many try to mingle into the crowd of people who cross legally at the ports.

In response to the tightened security, the smugglers appear to be changing their tactics.

More illegal immigrants appear to be crossing during the week – a change that officials say could show that immigrants are trying to blend in with the weekday commuter traffic instead of the bigger weekend crowds.

Inspectors at the Otay Mesa port also are detecting more immigrants hidden in secret compartments built into cars. That type of smuggling might be increasing at Otay Mesa because smugglers may fear the immigrants could die of carbon monoxide poisoning while the drivers wait in line at the busier San Ysidro crossing, Fasano said.

She said the new security measures are probably the main reason for the still low numbers of people being detained.

San Diego immigration inspectors now ask to see photo identification for all border crossers, including U.S. citizens.

People over age 14 who walk across the border must wait while their names are run through a computerized database.

Also, new X-ray machines and magnetometers – machines that help detect weapons – have been installed at San Ysidro.

Alan Kessler, an assistant professor at the University of Texas, Austin, said the true test of whether the higher security measures are discouraging illegal immigrants from crossing is whether the numbers remain low a year from now.

Kessler, who specializes in immigration politics, predicts the numbers will begin to rise because Mexico has yet to make strides in improving its economy and U.S. jobs continue to draw undocumented workers.

Some smugglers don't appear to notice the difference in border enforcement. A U.S. citizen caught smuggling someone this week, said he heard about the higher security at the border, but didn't hesitate to allow his friend to ride in his car.